I think Lola may be deaf

sidney &lola · May 22, 2011

I have had suspicions for a while that Lola may be hard of hearing but am now convinced as she is getting older she is getting deafer, She is getting really timid and only seems to recognise things when you are really close to her, also when SiDney thumps she just carries on what she was doing and doesn't seem to recognise that he has thumped.
Would her deafness make her more timid and frightened?? How do I know if she is really deaf and not playing up and being selective??

helgalush · May 22, 2011

My black lop bunny Starbuck is deaf... I think all lops are slightly harder of hearing than uppy-eared buns cos of their ears being turned inwards and down by their heads. Starbuck was diagnosed as being deaf by a vet before he came to me. His owner found him jumpy and easily startled so had her suspicions. Might be worth discussing it with the vet and keeping your own observations in the meantime. Not being scared by loud noises such as hoover or lawn mower might indicate this but I know some buns arent so bothered about that anyway. I wouldnt try to make a sudden loud noise yourself to see as it could shock the bun.

Starbuck lives quite happily as a deaf bun, I just make sure to approach him slowly and from the side so he has time to see me coming. And no sudden hand movements near his face or anything.

The other thing that came to my mind was her eyesight - might be worth getting her eyes checked by the vet at the same time. Starbuck has just been diagnosed with cataracts you see and I noticed he was getting more jumpy and not realising I was there. I noticed a slight sheen on his eyes, but really thought I was being paranoid until the vet confirmed it recently.

Hope she is ok.

susie bun · May 22, 2011

My little mini-lop friend, Mr McFlurry, is a bit deaf. I always take care to talk to him as I approach the hutch as he can startle very easily. Does Lola know her name? I know some buns do, but mine certainly doesn't.

sidney &lola · May 22, 2011

I had read that lops have a tendency to be a little deaf, she has only recently become more timid. She is due a check up soon so will check her eyes at the vets then thanks for the reply x

helgalush said:
My black lop bunny Starbuck is deaf... I think all lops are slightly harder of hearing than uppy-eared buns cos of their ears being turned inwards and down by their heads. Starbuck was diagnosed as being deaf by a vet before he came to me. His owner found him jumpy and easily startled so had her suspicions. Might be worth discussing it with the vet and keeping your own observations in the meantime. Not being scared by loud noises such as hoover or lawn mower might indicate this but I know some buns arent so bothered about that anyway. I wouldnt try to make a sudden loud noise yourself to see as it could shock the bun.

Starbuck lives quite happily as a deaf bun, I just make sure to approach him slowly and from the side so he has time to see me coming. And no sudden hand movements near his face or anything.

The other thing that came to my mind was her eyesight - might be worth getting her eyes checked by the vet at the same time. Starbuck has just been diagnosed with cataracts you see and I noticed he was getting more jumpy and not realising I was there. I noticed a slight sheen on his eyes, but really thought I was being paranoid until the vet confirmed it recently.

Hope she is ok.

sidney &lola · May 22, 2011

susie bun said:
My little mini-lop friend, Mr McFlurry, is a bit deaf. I always take care to talk to him as I approach the hutch as he can startle very easily. Does Lola know her name? I know some buns do, but mine certainly doesn't.

Lola knows her name but can be very selective and recently I have noticed she is more timid and more selective - if that sounds right?

mimi75 · May 23, 2011

Hi

both my lops Nobby & Moo are a little hard of hearing-Moo's hearing i suspect is quite bad.Both have had their ear canals opened due to inner ear abcess which means that now because Frances has removed part of the outer ear canal I can remove wax build ups. It doesn't really seem to affect their lives for the worst.I just try to be careful not to startle them as Moo has always been a little aloof anyway.when I'm coming upstairs I often have to shout really loud to Nobby otherwise I can suprise him & he'll take off running round the bedroom like a little nutter.

Elena · May 23, 2011

My lops have selective hearing :roll: they definitely can hear, I can see Mischa's ears moving in relation to sounds but he still scares sometimes even when I talk to him as I come in.

Rhianna · May 23, 2011

One of my lops, Furby, is deaf. I suspected something shortly after I rehomed him (he was a Lymington bun) and the vet confirmed it. I've found that having his wife with him really helps him to be more confident.

I still chat away to him as I do to all the others but make sure he can see me before I touch him. When he went to the vet recently for a dental I kept reminding the vet and the nurse he was deaf so they wouldn't scare him.

helgalush · May 23, 2011

Rhianna said:
One of my lops, Furby, is deaf. I suspected something shortly after I rehomed him (he was a Lymington bun) and the vet confirmed it. I've found that having his wife with him really helps him to be more confident.

I still chat away to him as I do to all the others but make sure he can see me before I touch him. When he went to the vet recently for a dental I kept reminding the vet and the nurse he was deaf so they wouldn't scare him.

I do this too. I say to the vets and nurses too but not sure they listen. (No pun intended).

dbu13mr · May 23, 2011

Peach, a lop, was deaf, though we suspected it could have been caused by earlier abuse than genetics.

The vet said it's very hard to diagnose in rabbits, cos if they hear a sudden loud noise they just remain still. I tried it with Peach and she just carried on eating. Plus if I went out to the hutch she'd often bolt when she saw me as she couldn't hear me coming. If she was in the house she'd often come and say hallo (and demand food) when we came in, but I'm sure that she felt the house shake as the door was slammed shut rather than heard us come in.

What confirmed it for me was getting my kitten, and realising how much she reacted to noises in the house. It was obvious then how much Peach missed (she was a nosy wee thing and would have gone to investigate if she'd heard).

M

sidney &lola · May 23, 2011

I agree, I think a lot of Lolas reactions are from vibrations / visual rather than actual hearing

dbu13mr said:
Peach, a lop, was deaf, though we suspected it could have been caused by earlier abuse than genetics.

The vet said it's very hard to diagnose in rabbits, cos if they hear a sudden loud noise they just remain still. I tried it with Peach and she just carried on eating. Plus if I went out to the hutch she'd often bolt when she saw me as she couldn't hear me coming. If she was in the house she'd often come and say hallo (and demand food) when we came in, but I'm sure that she felt the house shake as the door was slammed shut rather than heard us come in.

What confirmed it for me was getting my kitten, and realising how much she reacted to noises in the house. It was obvious then how much Peach missed (she was a nosy wee thing and would have gone to investigate if she'd heard).

M

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